I’ve watched sports in Pittsburgh all my life. I’ve seen all of the coaches/managers, good and bad. I put Mike Sullivan near the very top of the best, right there with Jim Leyland, right behind Chuck Noll. But Sullivan didn’t have a good spring. Because the Penguins came up short against the Washington Capitals, sure. But more because his relationship with Phil Kessel appeared to go bad. I believe that contributed significantly to Kessel’s lousy play in the playoffs.
Kessel deserves much of the blame. He’s not an easy player to coach. His ego too often needs stroked.